


worn out wings

by ilykaoru



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, F/M, Fairy, Haikyuu - Freeform, Homosexuals, How Do I Tag, Impending Death, M/M, Multi, Swag, War, i just dont know who yet, i know exactly whos gonna die, i love this au, it took me three months just to post this, lol, lots of fluff, no someone will die, please give it some attention, thats a lie, where the haikyuu losers are fairies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:41:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29572659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilykaoru/pseuds/ilykaoru
Summary: Kozume Kenma has just announced war on the Light kingdom, Sugawara & Sawamura have no idea what they're doing, Kiyoko is watching it all unfold, and Kuroo Tetsuro has just discovered he's a fairy after living 24 years as a normal human being. None of this should've happened.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Ennoshita Chikara/Terushima Yuuji, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu & Suna Rintarou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> i am SO excited for this UGH. please give it love, because i'm really proud of this.  
> my tumblr account is @koushismole, and my most recent post is a more in depth explanation of their talents, so go check it out, but i'll give you a quick rundown of them below:  
> REMINDER: molc is 'member of light council,' and modc is 'member of dark council.'
> 
> LIGHT KINGDOM - GOOD, LOYAL, SELFLESS.  
> kuroo tetsurou; protagonist; chameleon fairy.  
> sugawara koushi; king. (heir all his life) home fairy.  
> sawamura daichi; king. (married suga)  
> asahi azumane; prince; (princes/ess can be chosen by ruler) fashion fairy.  
> nishinoya yuu; molc; mischief fairy.  
> tanaka ryuunosuke; molc; mischief fairy.  
> tsukishima kei; molc; archer fairy.  
> yamaguchi tadashi; molc; medic fairy.  
> bokuto koutarou; molc; flower fairy.
> 
> GRAY KINGDOM - NEUTRAL. PEACEMAKERS.  
> kiyoko shimizu; queen; fire fairy.  
> akaashi keiji; prince; knowledge fairy.  
> ushijima wakatoshi; protector fairy.  
> iwaizumi hajime; trainer fairy.  
> the miya twins; prophet fairies.  
> suna rintarou; nature fairy.  
> sakusa kiyoomi; messenger fairy.  
> ennoshita chikara; wind fairy.
> 
> DARK KINGDOM - EVIL, CRUEL, UNTRUSTWORTHY (?)  
> kozume kenma; antagonist; king of the dark fae; siren fairy.  
> hinata shoyou; dark prince; assassin fairy.  
> kageyama tobio; modc; guardian fairy.  
> oikawa tooru; modc; poison fairy.  
> terushima yuuji; modc; tooth fairy.  
> yachi hitoka; modc; wielder fairy.  
> daishou suguru; modc; possession fairy.  
> tendou satori; modc; clone fairy.

_Hush._

Be quiet. Don’t say a word. He’ll hurt you. He’ll cut off your wings. Or your tongue. Maybe even your head if you’re too loud. He has a habit of doing that when he gets upset, so just keep your trap shut and you’ll make it out of here safe and sound. Those you love will stay untouched. You want him to stay safe, don’t you?

Sakusa Kiyoomi had heard those words so many damn times, they had slowly lost their meaning. They stopped striking fear into his heart. By the eighth time he had made the trip past the threshold, flying so fast he was barely even a blip in the starry night sky, he began to unconsciously walk up to the Dark castle like he was seeing a friend to play a card game.

His feet hit the ground. His wings stopped pounding against his back. His face was set in stone. His hands shook, but he intertwined them behind him like he always did and glared at the guards as the gate was opened for him.

The king stood at the front of the castle, slouching and looking like he didn’t want to be there. Nobody did. Sakusa walked towards him, bowing even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. _His face is so punchable_ , Kiyoomi thought with distaste. _If I just took my fist and-_

But he thought of Atsumu. He thought of the blackmail being hung around his neck like a noose. His hands stopped shaking, and he stood up straight. “Sakusa. Do you have what I need?” the king spoke, smiling timidly. Kiyoomi hated when he smiled.

“I always do,” Sakusa hissed. The king sighed, waving away the guards at his side. They went inside the castle, and for a brief moment, the only sound was the crickets chirping and the fall breeze. The king liked making people uncomfortable, but the ravenet wasn’t giving in so quickly. “Do you want to hear it or not?”

The king shrugged. “That’s what you’re here for, right? After all, it’d sure be stupid to leave your fiance all alone in bed just to come here and prance about.” Sakusa stiffened, but cleared his throat anyway. He’d curse him out right now if he could, but he valued his life.

“King Sugawara knows where the Halo is,” he said. That must have peaked his interest, for he arched an eyebrow and looked up at him. That was the most intrigue Sakusa had ever seen him give him in all of his trips. Unsettled, he continued on. “He didn’t tell Queen Kiyoko where it was, but he mentioned something about a waterfall. Somewhere in the northern forests, hidden in plain sight yet invisible to the naked eye.”

He seemed most interested in the special artifact, but Kiyoomi gave him the rest of the news on topics he wanted him to update him on. Cheeky bastard, he had thought in his head when he had asked him to do all the dirty work for him. He could easily figure this out himself. He only chose Kiyoomi because he had connections to the Queen and was the fastest messenger in the forest.

Not to mention the secrets he kept that the king had found out about.

When Kiyoomi finally finished, the lump in his throat had swelled to the size of a grapefruit, and he was being stared at intensely. “That’s all the news you have for me?” When the messenger fairy nodded, he narrowed his eyes, but paid him no further mind. He snapped his fingers, and a servant ran out. She looked afraid. Kiyoomi would’ve helped her get out of there if he wasn’t knee deep in his own pool of problems.

She handed him a single string. A string that, despite how nonthreatening it looked, made Kiyoomi's heart beat harder & faster than it ever had before. A string that made his palms sweaty. A string that would change Atsumu’s entire perspective of his fiance.

 _He’d leave me,_ Kiyoomi thought, _hate in his eyes and venom mixing in with every word he spat at me. He'd take off the ring, throw it away. Break it, maybe. I’d be alone. All because of a silly string. A silly string that wasn’t silly at all if you knew the story behind it_.

The king smiled again when he saw the look of fear and desperation on the gray fairy's face. It was subtle, and it was dark outside, but it was there. He snatched the string out of the servant’s hands, and she squeaked like a mouse, running off in terror. Kiyoomi held it in his hands, cradling it like it was a baby. It was just as precious. Just as life changing. “You never disappoint, Sakusa. Thank you.”

Before he could start flying out of there, the king called his name. Kiyoomi turned, annoyance etched onto his features. “I hope I get an invitation to your wedding,” he smirked. "After all, we've become friends. Haven't we?"

Sakusa's hands balled into fists, anger drowning out all of his senses, his emotions burning red. How dare he? "You wish," The black haired boy seethed. The king laughed airily, and Kiyoomi knew he couldn't be there any longer before his control broke and he did something stupid that would've surely cost him his life.

He flew off, the last thing he heard being the snap of the king's fingers as he called for his right hand man. "It appears we have an advantage, Shouyou. One I think will benefit us greatly," he had said in a hushed whisper. The prince had lit up, eyes going wide and sparkling with excitement.

Kiyoomi wasn't excited, however. Not at all. Whatever he was planning was all his fault. He had started it, he had fed into it, he was encouraging it by giving him what he wanted, all because he wanted to stop who he used to be from invading who he'd become after being sorted into the Gray kingdom and meeting a boy who changed everything for him. He wasn't a monster anymore. Right? At least, he believed he wasn't. But he was stealing information he had no right to take, and darkness would only spread the more he betrayed his real home. Never had he hated himself more than he did in that moment.

_I'm sorry, Atsumu. I'm so sorry._


	2. Sugawara's Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> King Sugawara tells the Light Council of his encounter with King Kozume.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihihihi the plot is finally starting && i'm really excited to share this with everyone! <3

“Hurry up, Tsukki, we’re gonna be in so much trouble if we’re late _again_!” Yamaguchi shouted from outside the log house, flying back and forth and nervously grinning when someone looked at them weirdly.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, adjusting his bracer and grabbing his glasses. Yamaguchi was right nonetheless. Neither of them wanted _another_ lecture from Daichi, and if they didn’t get there on time, Noya might put bird poop on their seats again. _That_ had been a mess to clean up. Was it too much to ask, however, for Sugawara to reschedule the meetings so they didn’t have to get up at the buttcrack of dawn? He was the king now, after all.

He had been the king for a while, and the heir for his entire life, but his new husband Daichi still had more control on the kingdom than he did, and _he_ had been poor for as long as he could remember. It was funny if you looked at it a certain way, though Suga didn’t find it humorous at all. Maybe that’s why Tsukishima laughed.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” he said, closing the door behind him and facing his freckled friend, who was sighing in relief & fiddling with the white and red button on their cloth shirt. Tsukishima looked up, squinting instinctively even though the stars still hung in the sky. “The sun’s not even out yet. I hate being on the Council.” Yamaguchi snickered, shaking their head.

“Liar, you love flaunting your bow and arrow in front of random people,” Tadashi replied. Tsukishima didn’t answer, because they were right. Again. Why did they know him better than he knew himself? That wasn’t fair. “And anyways, you know why we have meetings so early. It lowers the risk of the Dark faeries spying on us, because none of them are awake!”

Tsukishima scoffed. “I bet they don’t even sleep. Like vampires.”

“Vampires are extinct, Tsukki,” the medic fairy said, shoving his shoulder lightly. Suddenly, Kei was glad the sun wasn’t out, because his face was flushing and he felt embarrassed. “Okay, let’s go!” They took Tsukishima’s hand and off they went on the same path they took every day, past the houses hiding in the trees, the log huts, the green hills that slowly died a little more everyday, and towards the majestic castle sitting in the middle of it all, glowing an ethereal golden that blinded Tsukishima every time he saw it.

The castle was almost too much to handle. “I think it’s not fancy _enough_ ,” Suga had said when he pointed this out at one of their meetings, Asahi agreeing besides him. He had rolled his eyes and slouched back in his seat. Of course they would think so. They had lived lavishly their whole lives. Why’d he even bother bringing it up?

Still, Tsukishima wouldn’t trade his position being the official Light kingdom archer for anything, even if he did find the shimmer and shine that came with it a royal pain in the ass. He had his best friend, and other acquaintances that he could tolerate at times, and a high rank within the monarchy. As long as he was allowed to be in the front ranks and protect the kingdom he had lived in his whole life, he was content.

But, jeez, the palace was flashy.

Yamaguchi swerved around the markets hovering in the sky waiting to be opened for the day, and the people started to wake up. The smell of pixie pears invaded their noses and made their stomachs grumble. “I haven’t had a single thing to eat,” Tsukishima complained.

“I’ll get you some food once the meeting’s over, stop being a big baby.” They bumped into an old lady who began to curse them out. They smiled apologetically, stopping momentarily to fish through their bag and throw her a roll of gauze. “Sorry, Miss! Take that for your troubles!” She waved it off with a grunt. Tsukishima smirked as Yamaguchi’s smile dropped once she was out of sight. “Doesn’t that old hag have eyes? Jeez, the way I heal all the old people in this town, and they still don’t show me an ounce of respect. _Un_ believable.”

For the first, and possibly only, time that morning, Tsukishima laughed. For such a nice person, the words that came out of his friend’s mouth sure were deadly. The anger on Tadashi’s face dissipated (Kei was the only thing that could bring them down from their high horse) and the two laughed all the way to the castle.

Asahi was waiting for them at the gate, like he was every morning, waving when he saw them. Tsukishima nodded, and Yamaguchi grinned. “Hey, guys. It’s good you’re not late this time, because I wasn’t sure if Suga was going to blow a fuse or not. He’s got a lot on his plate right now.”

Tsukishima cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean? I thought he settled that whole land ordeal with the Gray kingdom a full month ago.” That had been a long dispute between the Queen of the Gray Kingdom and Sugawara, who was adamant that over a dozen acres of forest had been stolen from him. He didn’t come out victorious, however. He hardly ever did.

Asahi cleared his throat nervously. “It’s not that. It’s worse. Just- I'll let him tell you. Come,” he said, and they went inside the castle, their feet hitting the ground. Tsukishima stretched his wings out. Yamaguchi pretended not to look. They made their way to the meeting hall, where everyone was already sitting down.

Tanaka and Noya were whispering amongst themselves, most likely conspiring about the pranks they were going to pull that Suga never reprimanded them for. Bokuto, their flower fairy, had picked a yellow lily out of his ear and handed it to one of the guards keeping watch by the doors. The guard smiled. A little. Tsukishima thinks he did, at least.

Daichi sat at one end of the long table, while Sugawara sat at the other end. They both towered over the others, even though Asahi was the tallest of them all. They were the rulers. The peacemakers. They made the Light kingdom a safe, _good_ place to live. That was the only way Suga had proven to be useful so far, which no one dared to say for fear of being exiled.

Daichi noticed them walking in and stood up, leaning his arms on the table. “Ah, you’re here. Right. Shall we begin?” He looked towards Suga, who nodded absentmindedly and looked focused on something far away. Something out of his reach that he needed to grab. “Okay, everyone’s present! Let’s begin our Council meeting.”

As they did every time they had one of these meetings, they all stood, bowed in the direction of Suga & Daichi, and took their seats once the kings had bowed back. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi sat on opposite sides of the table. They talked too much and had to be moved by a very exhausted Daichi who had no clue what he was doing.

“First topic we need to address; the catapult full of rotten berries that was set off yesterday around noon, drenching three young girls in front of Asahi’s clothing shop. Care to give me insight as to why this might have happened, _Tanaka_?” The bald mischief fairy smothered his laughter, covering it up as a sneeze, before shaking his head seriously. “Hmm. How about you, _Nishinoya_?” The shorter fairy batted his eyelashes innocently. “Really? Neither of you know how this happened? I find that odd, considering you two know about everything that goes on in this kingdom, whether big or small.”

He glared at the two of them before Tanaka began to laugh, clutching his sides. “I’m sorry! It was funny, though, wasn’t it? Ah, you should’ve seen their faces!” Nishinoya then joined in, and they leaned on each other for support. Yamaguchi allowed themself to smile, but Tsukishima was done with their antics at this point, and so was the king, for he stared at them with a deadpan expression that made them stop mid-howl.

Nishinoya jumped up, throwing his arms up in surrender. “Oh, come on, Daichi! If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen the looks on their faces whenever Asahi passed by, you would’ve done the same thing! We had to stop them before they made a move on _my_ boyfriend!” he said defensively. Asahi turned a deep crimson. Daichi sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

“I’m sure you meant well, Noya, but I’ve said this a hundred times before, and I’ll say it again. You can’t mix up your love life and your job, which, if I may remind you, is the _only_ reason you had access to those catapults in the first place. So, let’s refrain from doing that in the future and instead have a civilized conversation like the civilized member of the Council that you are,” Daichi scolded. Nishinoya just muttered something under his breath and looked at his feet. Tanaka patted his back reassuringly, still snickering.

“Moving on,” he continued, “the fairies that live on the west side of the kingdom have to be escorted safely to the Aurora Inn in the Gray kingdom by eight o’clock tonight so we can renovate the area and give them more space. Any takers?”

Yamaguchi raised their hand. “I’ll go. Just in case anybody gets hurt,” they said timidly. Tsukishima raised his hand, as well. There was no way he was going to let his friend take so many people at one time, alone, with nothing to defend themselves with but their horribly stitched together bag of medical supplies.

“I’m not letting them take all those people alone. I’ll come with.” Daichi nodded, but Yamaguchi shook their head in rebuttal.

“I’d rather go alone. You don’t have to protect me all the time. Plus, didn’t you say you wanted to practice with Iwaizumi at seven thirty? I don’t want to change your plans,” they blurted out, looking at their hands as they spoke. It was a good thing they had been friends for a long time, or else Tsukishima might have taken Yamaguchi’s words as ‘I don’t like you. Please leave me alone.’

Yamaguchi had a problem when it came to Kei pushing aside his original plans to make time for them. They felt like they didn’t deserve it, or that they were being a nuisance. Luckily, Tsukishima had found out how to get them to stop being so self doubtful pretty early on in their friendship. He snapped his fingers, and Yamaguchi looked up at him.

“I’ve already made up my mind. I’ll reschedule my practice with Iwaizumi. He’ll understand. I’m going, end of story. Just in case _you_ get hurt.” Tadashi blushed, but didn’t argue, eyes falling back to their hands. Daichi shook his head at the two. _Could they just get together already? It’s really tiring watching them pine after each other._

“Right. Next order of business; the Dark Kingdom.” All the heads in the room snapped their way. Speaking about the Dark faeries was rare, almost prohibited in a sense. They were complete opposites, and that’s the reason they were mortal enemies. While the fairies in the Light and Gray kingdoms were good, selfless creatures, the fae were evil and deceptive, and lived only to see others suffer. Tsukishima turned his head to look at Suga, who had a grim expression on his face.

“What about them?” Tanaka asked, hands balling into fists. He was only being reasonable; all the fairies in the Light kingdom had been wronged by the Dark faeries in some way, and despised them just as much as he did. Plus, what business did they have with them that needed to be brought up in a Council meeting?

Suga stood up, head bowing. The crown perched upon his hair as if it was part of him, and his daffodil colored royal mantle flowed behind him as he walked over to Daichi’s end of the table. He looked so regal, you’d never believe he’d only been king for four months. “The King of the Dark faeries….he’s demanding we go to war.”

Bokuto stopped giving the guards flowers, and a purple cockscomb bloomed out of his ear, the color of fear. Everyone else felt the atmosphere in the room change. Yamaguchi shifted awkwardly in their seat. Asahi began to bite his fingernails nervously. Tanaka & Noya were gawking, their mouths open in shock. “But why?” he asked. “What could we have done to them that was so bad he would possibly think that sending his - and _our_ \- men to die is a good idea?”

Tsukishima nodded despite the panic rising in his gut. “Good question, Bokuto. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“Hey! I’m not dumb, I’m just…” He racked his brain trying to think of the word.

“Naive?” Asahi offered. Bokuto grinned goofily.

“Yeah! That’s the word.”

Daichi grabbed Suga’s hand, and the latter sent him a thankful look. “He came to the castle. A week ago.” Everyone shot up out of their seats. The king of the Dark fae, coming to the Light kingdom? Leaving his own territory to invade someone else’s, but doing it so quietly and quickly that no one knew of it but the people living in the castle?

“Why didn’t you tell us at last week’s meeting?” Yamaguchi asked, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“I didn’t want to worry any of you with the decision he had me make,” Suga said, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

“What decision?” Tsukishima asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

Suga swallowed the lump in his throat. “He came to me randomly one day, when I was in the meeting hall, asking for an artifact he knew I wouldn’t give him. He knew he was going to win this from the very beginning.”

Then, he began to tell of his experience with the king of the Dark fae.

✰

_Kozume Kenma never went anywhere in a hurry._

_Every step he took, every word he spoke, and every thing he did was planned and executed with patience. Never once did he break from that facade, and never once was he planning to. Even as he walked the halls of the Light kingdom’s castle, scaring away maids and cooks, he did it in long, slow strides. A scowl etched upon his face. And his pitch black eyes looking straight ahead, towards his destination; King Sugawara’s meeting hall._

_He only had one thing he needed, and King Kozume was going to get it if it was the last thing he ever did._

_He knocked on the door but threw it open anyways, and there was his fellow king, sitting on his chair at the end of the table and burning holes into him with his dangerous glare. He had his legs crossed, and his arms folded in front of his chest. The guards besides him made a move to attack, but Sugawara held up a hand. “That won’t be necessary. Take your leave.” The guards, however stunned they were, nodded briskly and exited the room, closing the door behind Kenma. “King Kozume. I’d say it’s nice to see you again, but it’s not.”_

_“Likewise,” Kenma drawled out in reply, the corners of his mouth tugging up viciously. “Oh, congratulations on being the new king. I haven’t seen you since you were eighteen, yet you still look useless.” Sugawara scoffed, but said nothing else. “Where’s your new husband? Is he tired of you already?”_

_“His whereabouts are not important. Why are_ **_you_ ** _here?” He leaned forward, shooting acid with his words. Kenma thought it was amusing. So amusing, he might have laughed if not for the fact that he wasn’t in a laughing mood._

_“I want what’s rightfully mine.”_

_“And what would that be, Kozume?”_

_“The Kingdom of Light, of course,” he hissed. Sugawara got up out of his seat, his face set in a cold expression, but Kenma saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. “I don’t lie, Sugawara. It’s against my oath as king to do so. This document-” he reached into his pocket and threw a scroll at the king, who caught it with ease,“-tells you everything you need to know. Paragraph eight. Mind reading it for me?”_

_Sugawara shot daggers at the king, but read the contents of the page anyway. “‘The Kingdom of Dark has the west side of the forest, while the Kingdom of Light resides in the south. Approximately 7,000 acres of land belongs to the Dark. Those who pass these boundaries are labeled as trespassers, and can be punished in any way, shape, or form, not excluding torture and/or death. An additional choice is also available in the situation where their land is being used. The Dark Faes can choose to take back their land if it’s being inhabited, and have the right to do so violently if needed.’” He looked up at Kenma. “Seriously?”_

_Kenma nodded. “I’m sure you were taught the laws of the forest. I’m sure you’ve practically memorized them by now, and I’m absolutely positive you know of the fine print. But the truth is the truth.”Kenma took a step forward. “You’re on my land.”_

_Sugawara threw the scroll onto the table, looking bored. “This is the reason you came here? This is what you wanted to say that was so worth it, you crossed the threshold separating our kingdoms and broke into my home?” Kenma shrugged as if to say yes, and the grey haired king laughed. “Right. Well, I do know the fine print, because I know the laws of the forest like I know the back of my own hand.”_

_“Then, please, read it to me,” the faux blonde challenged._

_“The fine print, King Kozume, is a simple one you know as well as I do. Whoever owns the land that originally belongs to one kingdom is allowed to do one of two things: negotiate a deal where both parties walk out satisfied, or declare war. War isn’t very smart, and you aren’t dense. So, what is it that you want, in return for me keeping my land, of course?” Sugawara asked. War_ **_was_ ** _dumb. Very dumb. Neither kingdom would waste men nor weapons on such a foolish cause. He wanted something from the Kingdom of Light._

_He wanted something from Sugawara._

_Kenma clapped sarcastically. “Bingo! Want a gold star? Or maybe a trophy?”_

_“Get on with it,” Suga snapped._

_“So short-tempered. I’m surprised people really look at you as their leader,” he teased, biting back a venomous laugh as he saw Suga’s jaw clench tightly, and his hands ball into fists. “Careful. It’d tarnish your already low reputation if word got out you hit a king. What would your people say?”_

_“I don’t give a damn what my people would say. As long as you walk out with a bloody nose, I’m satisfied,” Suga bit harshly. Kenma raised a hand before things could get any messier than they needed to be._

_“I want the Halo.” Those words were enough for Sugawara to seize up in fear. His strong facade dropped immediately, and his eyes widened. He stood there for a moment in stuffy silence, so long that Kenma thought he had been petrified. “Earth to Suga. I said I wanted the-”_

_“I heard you the first time,” came a whisper from the other side of the room as Suga’s hands began to shake. “You...you know better than anybody that I cannot give you the Halo. I can’t even have it myself. It’s too powerful for anybody. Even those truly good at heart. You know this.”_

_Kenma pretended to be disappointed, sighing. “Well, if you truly can’t give me what I want…” he slammed his hands on the table, his wings exploding out his back in a sudden rush of anger. Sugawara flinched when the corners of his mouth split apart, cutting itself open until it reached his ears. His smile sent a chill down Suga’s spine, but he couldn’t hand Kenma the cup. He wouldn’t._

_The fire in both of their eyes was so violent, the tension building up, the urge Sugawara had to just wrap his arms around Kenma’s throat and squeeze. But he needed to control himself. The world was spinning, or maybe it was his head, and Kenma clicked the roof of his tongue in fake pity. “You bastard,” Suga said through clenched teeth. “You snake.”_

_“I feel bad. You just became king four months ago! It wouldn’t be fair of me to launch a sudden war on you, would it? How about this: I give you one week to make your decision. One week to hand over the Halo. And if I don’t have it in my hands by Friday eve...” he paused, sending a look Sugawara’s way that could only be interpreted as a clear threat. “Prepare to send your best men out.”_

_And with that, he turned to leave, leaving a shaking Sugawara in the meeting hall, who had just been cornered with the hardest decision he’d ever make in his life._

_Unfortunately, his mind was already made up._

✰

The silence in the room was deadly. It pierced through every one’s hearts, shoving a shock of fear and anger down their throats. Sugawara, with a grave expression on his face, sat back down, rubbing his temples. “Friday eve. That was the deadline. _Yesterday_ was the deadline.”

“What did you do?” Asahi asked, fiddling with his fingers.

“You didn’t give him the Halo, right?” Nishinoya asked, eyes wide with terror. The king shook his head solemnly.

“No. I didn’t.”

“What does this mean?” Bokuto mused. Tsukishima stood up abruptly, and suddenly all eyes were on him.

“It means we have no choice but to face the facts; King Kozume isn’t backing down from this fight, so neither will we,” he said, and everyone spent a few minutes in quiet deliberation. Before anything else could be said, a staff fairy burst into the room. Her face was flushed from running, and her hair was disheveled.

“King Sugawara, King Sawamura. We have a problem,” she spoke quickly, fiddling with a loose string on her dress.

Looks were exchanged.

How much worse could this get?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you likedddddddd,,,,IM SORRY IM SO EXCITED


	3. The Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right when everyone thought it couldn't get any worse than war, it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stream the human condition

“A  _ what _ ?” Sugawara had asked incredulously, launching himself out of his throne so quickly that everyone in the meeting hall flinched. The staff fairy herself had a look of worry on her face, and she nodded vigorously, as if to confirm what they had just heard. To confirm it hadn’t been just a ludicrous trick of the mind.

“A  _ human _ , your Majesty. We found a human outside the castles, just asleep on the ground,” she said, quietly and softly, eyes traveling from the king to his husband to the other fairies in the room. This couldn’t be possible. It couldn’t be. The forest was hidden away to all human beings. All they got in place of the kingdoms was trees and endless dirt paths.“We transported him to the medbay. We thought it’d be smarter than letting King Kozume find out.” Yamaguchi’s eyebrows arched up.

“The medbay? Does he need my assistance?” Tadashi asked, getting up out of their seat. Sure, there were other healer fairies in the kingdom, and of course they were good enough on their own, but none were as skilled as Tadashi. None cared as much as they did. But instead of letting them go, Daichi held up a hand to stop them.

“That won’t be necessary. There are other healer fairies in this kingdom, Tadashi. Let  _ them  _ handle the human. You need to prepare for your trip to the Gray kingdom tonight, right?” Sawamura quizzed smoothly. The freckled fairy looked like they wanted to press the matter, but they opted for a brisk nod, lips set in a thin line. “Then you should only concern yourself with one thing at a time. If we need further assistance, I’ll fetch you myself.”

Yamaguchi sighed in subtle frustration. “I’ll be on my way, then. Lots to do.” They turned to Tsukishima, giving him a tight smile. “See you tonight.” The blonde nodded, watching them as they left.

“Bokuto, you go alert Akaashi and the Queen. Asahi, go open up your shop. People will ask questions if you keep it shuttered, and we want as little information getting out as possible. The rest of you, come with me,” Sugawara said. They all left the meeting room, following after the staff fairy. She was shaking, barely able to get a grip on her breaths as she zoomed down the halls, muttering rushed apologies at the other fairies she bumped into along the way. Tsukishima watched her intently.

Just how bad  _ was  _ this human? Could he really be so terrible just sleeping that he struck fear into everyone’s hearts?

Wait. Something about what the staff fairy said sounded off. Very off. The sound of Tsukishima’s wings fluttering distracted him heavily, but he couldn’t get the words out of his head. We transported him to the medbay. We transported him to the medbay. We-

“Wait,” Tsukishima called, making everyone stop walking and turn to face him. The staff fairy hesitated, fiddling with her dress. “You said you transported him to the medbay?” When she nodded anxiously, he raised an eyebrow. “How could you have done that? He’s a human. They’re all way larger than us.”

“Yeah!” Nishinoya chimed in, bumping Tanaka’s shoulder with his own. “They’re like giants compared to us! That doesn’t make much sense, does it?” When everyone murmured in agreement, the staff fairy shrunk into herself, unable to speak. Suga approached her, leaning in and whispering something into her ear. Her eyes began to glow an illuminating golden, her jaw going slack, and within seconds, she had regained her composure and was breathing normally.

Low and behold, Suga’s powers are once again being put to good use. Being a home fairy meant he was good at making others feel comfortable and safe in scary situations. He, quite literally, took away the fear. It was no doubt he was the greatest at it, or at least, better at it than he was at ruling an entire kingdom.

She exhaled and looked Suga right in the eyes. “That’s the thing. He...shrunk. One of the other staff fairies went to go check if he had a pulse, but as soon as she touched him, he shrunk to our size!” she exclaimed, looking down at her feet, away from the shocked looks on the other fairies. “I’m terribly sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, but I didn’t know how to break the news. Alright, we’re here. I’ll go about my usual chores.”

“Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You should get some rest after all you’ve seen,” Daichi proposed instead. Suga nodded, smiling. The staff fairy flushed a deep crimson, thanking the kings and bowing at the other members of the Council before flying off in a hurry. Nishinoya threw the doors to the medbay open as soon as she whizzed out of sight.

The infirmary was always full in one way or another, whether from children whom Nishinoya and Tanaka had encouraged to get up to no good, or young women who faked their injuries to speak for even a second to Yamaguchi to ask him about his hot, blonde friend. But now the place was downright claustrophobia inducing.

Medic fairies formed a crowded circle around one bed in the very back, muttering amongst themselves and talking about the human in not so quiet whispers that the other patients certainly picked up on.

“Oh, he’s  _ cute _ !”

“Aren’t you lesbian?”

“He looks malnourished! Should we feed him something once he wakes?”   
  
“Feed a human? Are you an idiot? We don’t even know what they really eat!”

“We’ll figure that all out, thank you,” Suga suddenly said half-jokingly. Everyone in the room saw him, broke out of their awe-struck shell, and immediately scrambled to get back to what they were doing, apologizing profusely to the grey haired young man who just laughed it off and said his hellos to the nurses he had become acquainted with. “Oh, gosh. He really did shrink.” His smile dropped, his face morphing into an expression of curiosity when he saw the  _ dreaded _ human.

They all looked at him, taking in his appearance. Pitch black messy hair. Nicely built body, obviously an athlete of some sort, though he did look like he hadn’t eaten or slept in a while. All qualities of a human. No physical features that necessarily stuck out, no clothing made of things found in the forest, and definitely no wings. He was ordinary. Not scary, not intimidating, just ordinary.

Yet, he was small now all of a sudden, just like a fairy, and he entered a place humans cannot physically find. Nobody could quite explain that, not even Tsukishima, who rummaged through the file cabinets in his brain for any possible answers as to how this could happen. He came up empty handed. 

“What should we do?” Asahi asked nervously. Suga furrowed his eyebrows, not breaking eye contact with the snoring human. Daichi placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked at all the members of the Light Council. 

Sugawara had a smile on his face. One that Daichi knew all too well.

He had _no clue_ what to do next, and he could use some help.

Daichi cleared his throat. "We'll keep him here until he wakes, of course. See what he knows, and tell him what we can. He looks pretty tired, though, so he'll probably be out for some time." While Daichi spoke to the others, Suga had grabbed his medical report and was skimming through it until he landed on an interesting piece of information. He tapped on Daichi's shoulder. "Yes, hon?"

"It says in his report that golden berries were found in his system. Maybe that's why he's…" he gestured vaguely to the boy laying on the bed. "You know, small."

"But golden berries only turn fairies. Not humans," Nishinoya replied, his head cocked to the side as he watched the ravenet breathe. Golden berries....a mythical fruit found only in deep parts of the forest. Extremely rare, and extremely hard to find, but not scarce at all. Any fairy who ate one would turn into a human for a total of eight hours, but it differed on how many you consumed.

"Right. So maybe he's a fairy!" Tanaka joked, starting to laugh. When Nishinoya didn't join in, he stopped and grew flustered. "Sorry. That was definitely dumb if Yuu didn't laugh." Sugawara shook his head violently.

"No, it's not that. In fact, you may be onto something, Ryuu," he said, walking closer to the human and kneeling down beside him. "Isn't it legend that only fairies can eat golden berries? Something about humans being allergic to it? Perhaps it isn't just a myth. After all, he's breathing just fine. Maybe the effects just coincidentally kicked in while the staff fairies were approaching him."

"What are you trying to say?" Tsukishima asked, narrowing his eyes at the king. Suga looked at him, the corners of his lips tilting up ever so subtly.

"It means that maybe this isn't a human that we have on our hands, but a  _ fairy _ ," he spoke quietly, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the sleeping boy or alert any eavesdroppers of his new theory.

Tsukishima's jaw went slack, while the other three boys looked at him with wide eyes. Fairy? No, he couldn't be. The only fairies in this forest were the ones inhabiting the three kingdoms. Fairies had wings. Talents. Fairies  _ knew _ that they were fairies. They didn't live in clueless oblivion their whole lives,  _ human sized _ .

It just wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Right?

"Isn't that a stretch? I mean, the guy hasn't even woken up yet," Tanaka retorted, being the first to break the stuffy silence.

"You're right. I could be over analyzing this whole situation. But I don't have any other explanation as to why he shrunk." Suga kept his eyes locked on the boy for a couple of seconds, thinking about something or other, before he turned away from him and faced the others, clapping his hands together. "Right. Anyway, remember that we don't want this getting out to anyone, okay? We still don't know exactly what we plan to do once he wakes up, but King Kozume must not under any circumstances be aware of this."

Everyone nodded, so he continued. "Good. Now go about your days normally. You don't need to concern yourselves with this. Daichi and I will figure this out."

"But the war-" Tsukishima started to argue, but Sugawara held up a hand. The blonde's mouth clamped shut.

"That's a problem for another day. I said go, Tsukishima. Yamaguchi probably needs you," he said, shooting an apologetic glance his way. Tsukishima glared, stomping out of the room as he grumbled under his breath. Tanaka and Noya followed after him, snickering to themselves.

When Suga made up his mind, there was no changing it. It didn't matter if Tsukishima felt like fighting with him or not. In the end, he'd still have to leave.

Daichi turned to his husband once the others were gone. He looked around to make sure nobody was listening in on them, and then leaned in until his mouth was next to Suga's ear. "You don't have to do this alone. It's okay if you don't have all the answers. That's only normal."

Suga rubbed his temples, sighing. "It's just so much work, being king. My parents never had to deal with a war, or a human. I just wish I had as many brains as them when it comes to this kind of thing. If they were here instead of me-" Daichi grabbed his hand. His sentence fell short.

"But they're not. You are. You're king, Koushi. This is your kingdom now, and these are choices you'll have to make, but you  _ are _ strong enough to make them. I believe in you. However, we shouldn't worry about it all in one breath, otherwise we'll never make any progress. Let's get some warm milk, & wait for the human to wake up. Does that sound good?"

Suga nodded, pulling Daichi into a hug. "That sounds great. _You're_ great, Daichi. I love you."

"I love you too," The brunet responded, a lovesick smile dangling from his face. They leaned in, but before they could close in the space between them, they heard childish giggling from behind them. Daichi turned.

"Alright, which one of you kids was it, and which injury are you faking this time?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have a good day! :)

**Author's Note:**

> DID YOU LIKE IT DID YOU LIKE IT DID YOU LIKE IT  
> i really hope you did :) i dont know how long i'm planning to make this, but it'll be really good, i promise, so please stick around!


End file.
